


Damaged Silence

by PlaguedParadox



Series: The Silent Courier [2]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Dead Money DLC, Muteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-22 21:07:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14317173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlaguedParadox/pseuds/PlaguedParadox
Summary: Pandora has been acting weird since she got back from a casino called the Sierra Madre and Arcade gets annoyed with it.





	Damaged Silence

The Mojave sun licked away at the walls of the Lucky 38 as it set, still trying to bleach the prewar building but no one inside the old casino paid much attention as Pandora and her companions hung out at the Penthouse. The courier had disabled Mr House’s ability to control anything during her first visit to the Strip, while she had left the Capital wasteland she did keep some of the ideals she learned to heart - no one person should rule anyone as it just leads to bad things.

A silent sigh left the mute woman as she looked over to the table where her friends sat playing poker. Or at least most of them were. Lily was off to the side much like the courier was, just watching the sky change from its typical hues to the cool blues of night. Pandora smiled at the sight of the elderly Night Kin enjoying the view before dragging her gaze over to Arcade struggling with his hand while Cass seemed to be having the most luck at that point despite being fueled by her poison of choice.

The doctor soon threw his cards onto the table and his hands up in the air before exclaiming that he was quitting the game, news that seemed to please the others now that they had a better chance of winning. Pandora didn’t know much about the game, Blackjack was more her speed so she didn’t bother joining. A silent chuckle made her body bounce slightly in her chair as the courier watched Arcade huff away from the table and over to her, his face in a scowl as he plopped down next to her.

“Well, that was a waste of time,” Arcade grumbled out as he kept his gaze away from the table he had previously sat at, not wanting to spark any teasing at the fact he was horrible at the game. The Follower was grateful for the break away from adventures in the wasteland after spending so much time running around doing errands for the soldiers at Camp McCarran. “How’s it going fixing up that old ranger armour you found at the safehouse?” He didn’t expect more than a thumbs up with how the courier had been interacting with him less and less so was quickly taken back when a ranger helmet was enthusiastically shoved in his face. “Woah!” was all that slipped out of his mouth before his back hit the cold floor beneath him.

The sound of drunken laughter sounded out from the poker group before Raul broke through the laughter with cheering as his hand won the game much to Cass’s frustration. The doctor’s face flushed in embarrassment as he pulled himself off of the ground and sat himself back down next to his best friend who was busy cleaning up some armor that she’d probably never wear as she prefered the stealth suit she got on one of her trips away from the Mojave, something the doctor had been meaning to ask about considering every time she came back from those lone adventures she became more and more distant.

The thought of her becoming so distant brought an odd chill to Arcade’s soul. His time as a Legion slave had changed him psychologically to the point he felt as if he became rather dependent on his friend which resulted in panic attacks when he’s not her companion of choice for an adventure or job. Usually, Julie Farkas had to deal with that but she had grown used to the attacks by the fifth time it happened. Luckily for the Follower only he and Veronica, which he was surprised to find out, were able to understand sign language so he was usually picked to tag along. Pandora usually spoke with her hands in more ways than just sign language so when travelling with the others they usually got the gist of what she was saying.

Lately, however, she seemed to be less talkative in the sense that she wouldn’t move her hands unless it was necessary. It was almost as if she was scared of accidentally angering someone with how she acted and most of the companions believed that, on her last solo trip, she met someone who would have happily taken her life if she did the wrong thing but no one had a clue as to who such a cruel person could be. All they had were odd tokens that bore the name the Sierra Madre. Arcade hated how different she was now.

The penthouse grew quiet shortly after he thought that and he realised he said it out loud. The doctor’s face twisted into a grimace as he looked around at the other companions, most pulling their hats over their face or shaking their head while ED-E beeped disapprovingly and floated over to his owner which brought Arcade to bring his gaze over to her. “P-Pandora… I’m sorry.” He stuttered out after he saw his dear friend’s eyes well up with tears, something he couldn’t recall if he saw before as she was typically quite the cheerful person. “Pan…” Arcade reached his hand out to rub the tears away only for her to shove the armour at him, almost knocking him over once again and causing him to wince at the impact as ranger armour was not soft in the slightest.

Pandora’s face was contorted with anger and disbelief at Arcade’s new view of her, she wished she could speak but at that moment she couldn’t even bring herself to sign how she felt as her fists were white with how tightly that they were clenched. With rough movements, she rubbed the tears away before any more could fall and made her way out of the room. Veronica, ED-E, Rex and Lily were quick to follow the mute woman knowing that she’d end up getting into some serious trouble without a translator and help in battle. Veronica watched as her friend kept to herself in a corner of the elevator as it descended slowly onto the casino floor, she had seen Pandora like this before, back at the bunker in the Hidden Valley when she saw how different things were between the Brotherhood where she was from and the Brotherhood that patrolled the Mojave. It was one of disillusion and the thought of the implications of that hurt the scribe. The scribe knew that the newly made Paladin wasn’t one for negative emotions but then again, she never knew the mute woman to be so reckless towards and distant from her beloved medic to straight up nearly hurt him.

“Hey, you okay, Dora?” Veronica’s words were soft as the small group left the northern part of the Strip and into Freeside, the Securitrons keeping a close eye on them in case of any misbehaviour. She received a small shake of the head in response and sighed in reply to it. There were no witty remarks to be had when a member of her family was hurting. “What was all that about?” She muttered to herself, unaware that the courier could hear and froze when she did. There was some awkward silence before a typical one-sided conversation sounded out, alerting the people of Freeside that their hero was in the area which of course brought some Kings members running over to speak and even giving the occasional gift which Veronica felt was always lackluster considering how the giver would practically sprint over like an excited puppy but Pandora’s heartfelt thankfulness never failed to make her smile.

The courier began to fiddle with the pip-boy strapped to her wrist, the only worthwhile thing that her cousin could have given her, flipping between the options and checking her inventory list, marking which items were currently on her and which were stored away. The sound of static sounded out before a woman’s voice began speaking out. Pandora sighed silently at the broadcast, forgetting that she had left the radio on that frequency when she left on her lone adventure to the abandoned bunker. Vera Keyes’ voice sounded out, looping a message that only played now that the courier had left the villa behind. Her mind immediately flashed to Christine and she grimaced, the knight’s old sweetheart stood not too far from her and she had yet to tell the scribe that they had even met. Pandora switched the station to Radio New Vegas only to turn it back once she heard Johnny Guitar play out. ‘Curse you, Mr New Vegas!’ The courier thought to herself as she glared at the pip-boy screen. It was safe to say that she despised that song.

Lily broke the courier’s glare at the small device as the Night Kin placed a large hand on her shoulder. “You’ll be okay deary, these things happen.” The once-grandmother comforted the best she could despite Leo’s typical nagging. Pandora gave the best smile she could despite her upset state before a determined look crawled along her face. She had something to do. The courier pulled up the map on her pip-boy and pointed to her desired location, letting her companions see where they were headed before she leads the way. The small group wandered the wastes for hours, their constant movement battling the cold desert night. The only sounds made were occasional beeps from the eyebot and Rex barking at geckos and ants in the distance, warning them to stay away from his silent master and her friends.

Back at the Lucky 38, Arcade felt as if he was having a breakdown in the dimly lit presidential suite where the only thing keeping the main bedroom lit was the screen from the terminal in front of him. He had been typing on it for the past hour or so to try and steady his thoughts but his panicking got the better of him. ‘What if she doesn’t want to travel with me anymore? What if she kicks me out of the group? What if she hates me now?’ His thoughts were nothing but a train wreck of what-ifs that got proceedingly worse with each new question that popped into his head. Arcade gripped his head in worry and slumped over in the chair he sat in, having gotten tired of pacing a small bit ago.

Just outside the room, Boone and Raul waited as they looked for the right moment to walk in and speak to the Follower but they knew from multiple previous experiences that there was no getting to him in his panicked state other than the woman who clearly didn’t want to be anywhere near him at the time. Raul sighed, knowing his boss was a rather stubborn woman which on any other day, he’d respect without question but currently he was just annoyed with it.

The first time he saw her stubbornness get the better of her it leads to her disappearing for a month and coming back with a ton of new scars, some even seeming surgical not that she ever explained how she got them, she did end up with the uniform she became famous for wearing, however. The second time she ended up walking off to the Divide and coming back looking grim as if she heard a horror story. The third time she disappeared with a caravan company and didn’t come back for several months, she didn’t want to speak about what happened that time. The fourth time changed her almost completely, she came back exhausted and coughing as she dragged a bag behind her, she wasn’t the boss he remembered but she was slowly coming back, even if Arcade couldn’t see that. It seemed as if every time Arcade and her fought, she would let her stubbornness and pride get the better of her and she’d storm off on a lone adventure to try and release some of the pent-up energy.

The prewar ghoul knew that the courier had changed from the look in her eye when she returned from the Sierra Madre but humans changed all the time and he knew that all it would take was some time with her friends, perhaps even working to get her mind off of things, to get her back to normal but the medic of the group was getting impatient. Arcade’s behaviour was something that most of the group rolled their eyes at as he acted as if he was the only one that really knew the courier.

Boone knocked on the door, not caring if he was gentle as he just wanted this to be over so they could go out and look for the others. “You finished moping yet? Because acting like a child isn’t going to make Pandora come back.” The sniper barked out, more than frustrated with the situation. Pandora was his friend too but he knew that she needed a little bit of time to settle herself with what happened like she did with him about Bitter Springs. The man marched into the room after receiving no response to see Arcade with his head between his arms crying at the desk.

The sound of a scoff made both men jump slightly. “You look like someone just rejected you. Cheer up Specs.” Cass waltzed in, dropping her hat on the blonde’s head as she walked by him. “She’ll be back soon. She has Ver and Lils and her pets with her, she’s not going to disappear again.” She comforted, patting his back gently before placing a bottle of her favourite drink down by him in case he needed it, it seemed everyone in the Mojave needed to drown their sorrows in booze. “Dora isn’t going to abandon you, Cade. You two need each other.”

“If she really needed me, she’d still be here,” Arcade grumbled out, feeling childish for even replying but it’s what he felt was true. Cass rolled her eyes at his remark, she knew that Pandora had been distant recently, everyone did, but he had been pushing her away in retaliation. “Listen, I appreciate you lot trying to help but you don’t understand…” The medic huffed out as he stood up to leave, handing Cass’s hat back to her and leaving the casino himself.

Arcade felt sick with worry as he once again paced around the grounds of the Old Mormon Fort. Julie stood off to the side, her head resting on her hand and muttering to herself about how childish Arcade was being. She had heard Arcade’s ranting from the other side of the wooden doors which informed her as to what happened. “You know that they’re at the Outpost, right?” A Follower called out to the other member, causing his pacing to freeze. The first time in a week since he arrived back at the Follower’s base of operations. “They just radioed in. She’s hurt.” ‘In more ways than one, I bet.’ Julie thought to herself as she watched Arcade sprint off and out of Freeside. “Good luck, Gannon.”

The blonde rushed his way towards the Outpost, thankful that the Mojave critters were staying away for the time being as his mind rushed with more what ifs, this time circling about the kind of injuries his dear friend and saviour could have had. ‘What if she was poisoned by a cazador? What if she was bleeding out? What if…’ He couldn’t bring himself to finish that last questioned as he rushed up the stairs not even bothering to greet the resident doctor and just heading straight to the unconscious courier that was coated in an odd residue. “What happened?” The doctor asked as he began some basic procedures.

Veronica snapped out of her small daze, the memories of the villa and the ghost people coming to mind as she tried to work out what to say. “S-She took us… To where she went… she showed us this…” The scribe lifted up the deactivated bomb collar which still had the dried blood of its previous wearer staining it, the collar’s were infamous for cutting into the flesh of the wearers so blood wasn’t uncommon but it’s whose blood it was that unsettled her. It was the courier’s. All the companions knew of the courier’s slave past so hearing that she was collared again at some point unsettled the Brotherhood member greatly. She barely noticed Arcade flinch at the sight of the collar as her mind fell onto the Sierra Madre’s guardian, her beloved Christine, who had met them at the Villa’s gate to scold the courier for coming back only for them all to start being attacked by the Ghost people.

The Outpost fell silent as the wordless story filled the area, the silence only being broken by Arcade’s movements as he worked to treat the wounds created by the cloud and the Ghosts.

Despite the pain and the sadness that had now fallen onto her dear scribe, the courier got closure and she felt a little more at peace with the world, especially now that the two once separated lovers had the opportunity to part on their own terms rather than the terms their previous Elder had set for them. Now she had to get closure with something else.

The courier’s pale blue eyes flickered over to the doctor who upset over before she decided to head out and make herself better. He was working hard suturing up any and all of the slices that the Ghost people had taken out of her flesh, biting his lip in concentration as he worked on another gash that was across her arm. Her body shook as she slowly shifted into a sitting up position, making sure Arcade was able to follow her movements easily in his concentrated state. A small yet noticeable smile crawled across her lips as she watched her dear friend work so hard to get her back to top shape, even if it was never said it was obvious that she was proud of him and always interested in his work being research or if he was busy keeping her together - though most wastelanders interpreted her small smiles at him to mean something else other than pride.

“Sorry…” Arcade muttered softly as he shifted from the gash on her arm to the one on her cheek. It was clear that he wasn’t apologising for nicking the skin or some other typical error that could occur that would cause the need for an apology. The smile that grew on her face was enough for his own smile to break out. They were back to their normal relationship. “Getting ranger armour to the chest is painful, by the way.” Arcade teased which caused the telltale bouncing of his best friend indicating her laughter. Pandora signed that she was sorry the best she could despite the pain wracking through her body. ‘I really need to think these trips through.’ She thought to herself as she laughed from another of Arcade’s quips.

On the other side of the Outpost, the resident doctor and the courier’s scribe were watching the pair closely as they repaired the damage that they refused to admit that they were causing. It would be another few hours before the group of friends decided to try and head back to their home on the Strip, the courier being carried by Lily while Veronica and Arcade kept any hostiles at bay and it another hour before they reached the Lucky 38 and the relieved faces of Cass, Raul and Boone.

 


End file.
